BJP MLC Seeks Biometric Tracking of Illegal Immigrants Using Trains to Bengaluru
Bengaluru: As the large number of passengers makes it difficult for the Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel and the State Railway Police (GRP) to conduct a comprehensive background check on passengers during transit from West Bengal to the city of Bengaluru, Chalavadi Narayanswamy, MLC of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, felt the need to implement a special verification drive at major boarding and disembarking points at Howrah, Malda Town, Kharagpur and Bengaluru terminals. It involves “biometric cross-referencing.”
In a letter to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and also to Union Minister of State for Railways V. Somanna, the MLC pointed out that Bengaluru has become a major hub for labor colonies where illegal settlers reportedly reside under the guise of immigrants from West Bengal and the Northeast, and stated that the existence of a large number of residents of Bengaluru has been proven by forged documents detected in the recent police crackdown.
17 weekly and daily train services from Howrah-Sealdah to Yeshwanthpur/Sir M. Visvesvaraya terminal routes connect West Bengal with Bengaluru, and there is growing evidence that the train routes are being used for the uncontrolled movement of illegal immigrants, especially from across the international border (Bangladesh).
Narayanswamy stated that security clearances such as background checks of every passenger during transit are difficult, adding, “A green corridor has been created for unauthorized entry into the Southern States of the country.”
Narayanswamy asked V. Somanna to deploy undercover RPF and Intelligence Bureau personnel on trains from West Bengal to Bengaluru to track and identify suspicious movement patterns.
He told the Union Minister to treat migrants sneaking into Bengaluru as particularly high priority national security and take steps to monitor these transit routes.
